"Oh yeah, and rebuild the engine" = lol, yeah
Asking was $30k, got it to around $25k. It'd be a good deal, but the engine is going to cost $15k+ to overhaul. Now you're talking $40k+ for a O-235 long ez with a GU canard that needs a lot of other TLC. Props a very old cruise prop that's been overhauled numerous times, needs new tires, new battery, the weight and balance looked questionable, etc, etc.
I think the point to de-registering it was to remove any potential liability, not sure. It has Airworthy cert.